


A Shot In The Dark

by WalesAPH



Category: Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: Angst, F/M, Fluff and Angst, Minor Character Death, Mostly MariChat, Violence
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-01-10
Updated: 2016-01-30
Packaged: 2018-05-13 01:26:36
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 5,165
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5689282
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/WalesAPH/pseuds/WalesAPH
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A terrifying Akuma is attacking Paris. Marinette is unable to transform back into Ladybug and her luck, as well as her courage, seems to be running out. Chat finds Marinette and tries to calm her, even though she knows he's just as scared of the Akuma as she is. </p>
<p>Will the heroes of Paris defeat Hawkemoth once again? Or will he finally be the victor?</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

  This Akuma attack was the worst she'd ever seen, and of course it would be now that her luck ran out. She had already used her Lucky Charm once. Ladybug had activated it in a desperate attempt to save her friends but it wasn't enough to outwit her opponent, let alone save anyone. Alix, Juleka, Mylene, Max… Alya. So many people were already dead because Ladybug was too weak.

And now she was just Marinette.

Silly, clumsy Marinette. The girl who couldn't even form a coherent sentence in front of the boy she liked. How could she possibly stand up to the most horrific Akuma yet and save what remained of her friends, along with the rest of Paris? It was impossible. Compared to this dilemma, Marinette would rather read Adrien every page from her diary, aloud. Sweet Adrien, who may be dead as well for all she knew.

She shivered, embracing herself and sinking back against the side of an alley dumpster. Blood had dried in the cracks of her knuckles, palms and under her nails— she didn’t know to whom it belonged. What she did know was that she was a pathetic coward, hiding while Chat Noir was still out there somewhere. If her partner was dead because she was too scared, too unsure to do anything, she would never forgive herself. The mere thought of Chat, torn and ripped by bullets, was enough to get her on her feet.

Marinette stood on her shaking legs, still flinching at every staccato gunshot that resounded in the distance. Suddenly, a sleek black form dodged into the alley across from her own. Marinette tripped backwards in surprise, retreating behind the dumpster once again.

Slowly crawling out from her hiding spot, she squinted through the darkness to try and see if the figure could truly be who she thought it was. She cursed her terrible night vision as she continued to scan the area, eventually catching a glint in the void. He would have been invisible if not for that glowing pair of green eyes in the darkness. She breathed a small sigh of relief— he was alive. Apparently, Chat Noir had noticed Marinette too, and cautiously peeked out of the opposite alley before bounding over to her.

He looked awful. That was her first thought. He looked like he'd been hit too many times to count. No bullet holes though, and she felt herself relax the slightest bit. This was the first time she had seen his suit get damaged. Small cuts riddled the skin-tight leather, the bell around his neck was corroded, dented, and the cat’s mask was chipped on one side. A shallow incision trailed down his cheek and led her eyes to his bruised and bleeding lips. He must have been fighting tooth and nail waiting for Ladybug to return, not knowing that she had become the scared and simple Marinette, too anxious to move.

"Marinette… Marinette, tell me you're okay."

She barely registered the words, only hearing Chat’s urgency. It scared her. She missed the playful, flirtatious edge in his voice, the one that was always there when he talked to Ladybug. Two gloved hands cupped her cheeks, shattering her withdrawn thoughts and forcing her to look into sad, green eyes.

"I'm... I'm okay," she finally responded. She wasn't okay, but she was in better condition than him.

"You're shaking like a leaf, Princess." A ghost of his usual smile graced his lips as he moved his hands down to hold hers still. She hadn't even realized she was trembling until he steadied her. Gently, Marinette pulled her hands out of his grasp and Chat let her, respectful as usual.

"I thought you were with the others. Did you see- I mean, did you have to…" He was looking for a tender way to ask her if she'd seen it all… if she’d watched her friends die. Marinette didn't blame him for stuttering— his loss and regret was just as tangible as hers. She made a small noise behind her pursed lips, an escaped fragment of a repressed sob. It was dangerous to reply; she might start crying again at any moment.

"Ladybug. She tried to save them." Her voice was strained and choked, but she had managed a few words.

He nodded. "She used her Lucky Charm. It kinda' drains her power and that's why she's missing right now." She gave her own nod of understanding, knowing all too well what had happened.

~

_"Lucky Charm!" Ladybug held out her hands as the newly summoned item fell down to her. "What do I...?" She was looking around rapidly, trying to formulate a plan. Chat Noir could only hold off the Gunman for so long. Truly, she had never cursed her "luck" before this moment. Gunshots were going off around her, there wasn't enough time. Every second that she wasted searching for an answer, there was another scream, another image to torture her. As the bodies piled up her mind remained blank and the burden of the entire city of Paris brought her to her knees. She couldn't pinpoint what she was feeling as she watched her friends fall before her eyes—an excruciating emptiness, like she was watching an agonizing movie from a distant room. She felt that she may be sick at any moment and suddenly realized what this incapacitating, foreign feeling was. Ladybug was afraid._

_Ladybug was never afraid, though. She was always confident and strong! So why were her emotions contradicting what had always been fact? Everyone expected her to be a hero; she felt weak, small, and yet entirely crucial, like an easily squashed bug under a magnifying glass. Maybe she’d never been a hero— maybe she was pretending all along._

_Chat roughly helped her to her feet, watching with bated breath as the spots on her earrings began to disappear. Her transformation was about to wear off. He urged her to go, shaking her out of her dazed state. No sooner than the words had left his mouth, she was fleeing. Her feet wouldn't stop pounding the pavement until the screams and the gunshots had faded away. She collapsed into the nearest alleyway, weighed down by exhaustion and the guilt of deserting Chat, leaving him to die, alone, without protest. As if things couldn’t get any worse, she was Marinette again, even more useless than before._

_~_

  She sat in silence, remembering. Chat was looking at her worriedly— this was the most serious she had ever seen him and it almost made her laugh. She just had to go and make him worry about her when hundreds of innocent people were dying outside this alley. Why couldn't she just pull herself together?

"Are you going to be okay?" He'd spoken softly, but it still startled her out of her thoughts. She looked up at him, but he wasn't looking back at her. His gaze was directed out at the empty street while he nervously twisted his ring, what she knew to be his Miraculous. It hit her like a punch to the stomach then that he wasn't just worried for France, but for himself. He had to go back out there and hold off the Gunman alone, waiting in vain for Ladybug to return.

"You're terrified, aren't you?" She hadn’t meant to say it aloud. Chat jerked back to face her, surprised. He opened his mouth to say something, a confirmation or denial, but was cut off by a loud gunshot right next to the alley. Chat leapt forward and scooped her up before diving behind the familiar dumpster. It took her a moment to realize the pounding in her ears wasn't just the Gunman's heavy footsteps getting closer, but also the sound of her own heart. Chat had his eyes shut tight and cradled Marinette in his arms, trying to keep them both as still as possible. She tightened her grip around his neck and turned her face into the nook of his shoulder to muffle her quick and shallow breathing while Chat nuzzled into her hair. This time, she didn’t protest the closeness.

Marinette didn't know how long they sat there, unmoving, in fear of being heard. She was getting lightheaded from Chat’s constricting grip, but the Gunman finally seemed to be far enough away. Gratefully, they let themselves relax but continued to sit in companionable silence, waiting for their rapid heartbeats to calm.

Chat interrupted the quiet. "You need to just stay here until this ends. Ladybug and I will fix everything. I promise we will defeat him."

Marinette was shaking her head before he had finished his last sentence. She tried to get her voice to work, to tell him not to go back out there. But who was she to stop him? He had no idea that Ladybug wasn't going to show up so long as Marinette was here. She was gasping out breathless "no's" as one of his arms moved so that he could rub comforting circles on her back.

"I have to go, Princess. My Lady is probably waiting for me right now." He grinned against her ear and she felt her heart shatter. She felt the tears, hot on her cheeks before she'd registered her blurring vision. She was terrified of losing him, and she was terrified of the Gunman. She kept thinking of how she was only fifteen, kept thinking of her friends, dead, kept thinking that she and Chat could end up just the same. Paris would lose its heroes and Hawkemoth would win.

Vaguely, she could hear Chat trying to calm her. He was calling her "Princess" in a soft voice and she took some solace in that. Everything about him right now was so different from the boisterous boy she was used to. He seemed so calm.

Chat was not calm. He'd never seen Marinette like this and he didn't know how to help. He was desperate for a way to soothe her— talking just wasn't enough, so he did the next thing that came to mind. He pulled away slightly, the hand not rubbing her back brushing her bangs to the side as he gently pressed his lips to her forehead.

Warmth spread through her as his lips connected with her skin. Her mom used to kiss her forehead whenever she was upset and it grounded her for just a moment. All the stress almost evaporated as she focused solely on this familiar feeling. She didn’t care that it was Chat who was kissing her. Frankly, she didn’t want it to be anyone else because Chat was the only one facing the same fear as she was, the only one who understood. It was like they'd switched places; he was grounding her for once instead of the other way around. Chat was scared and knew he had to protect the people of Paris, but he was still here worrying over her. As he drew back from her she closed her eyes and let out a shuddering breath. She was still shaken, but her fear had calmed a bit.

When she opened her eyes, she was peering into a sea of green. Chats gloved hand moved to wipe her cheeks, where tear-tracks still remained. "Can I kiss you?"

She should have been surprised, but she ended up letting out a watery laugh. "You just did, silly cat." The smile that pulled out of him made her feel warm in a way she usually only felt around Adrien Agreste. "Besides, don't you have a thing for Ladybug...?" His smile slipped away a little and she wished she could swallow her words.

"I do, but I know where we stand." He closed his eyes and she wished he hadn't so she could stare into that green for a little while longer. "That guy out there, he's pretty scary. I just didn't want to walk away from you without showing you how amazing I think you are. In case... Well, in case I-"

She cut him off there. She didn't want to hear what she knew was coming next and she grabbed his chin, making him look at her again. His confused expression morphed to surprise as she took a deep breath and quickly closed the distance between them, pressing her lips to his.

She had kissed Chat before when they fought Dark Cupid, but it was more of a formality than this. She could only describe it as warm and natural. Everything about him was familiar. He felt like home.

As soon as it began, it ended. They both pulled back a little breathlessly and she could feel the tears on her cheeks again because it was obvious what came next. This time, it was Chat who was pulling away and Marinette was the one letting him go. She knew then that she had to turn back into Ladybug. She had to fix everything because she couldn’t risk losing this perfect, beautiful, ridiculous boy.

He wiped a tear from her cheek and she could see him getting choked up as well. She heard it in his voice when he spoke.

"I'll be seeing you again before you know it. I promise." His smile was like the sun and she felt a tiny smile tug at her lips in return. She nods. “I know.”

Satisfied, Chat began backing away. When he finally managed to tear his eyes from hers he turned, quickly dashing out of the alley and back out into the streets of Paris. His soft footsteps are quickly absorbed by silence.

"Tikki!" Marinette opened her purse as soon as he had gone, nudging her napping Kwami. Tikki groggily peered out from her bag and yawned. "I'm sorry Marinette, I fell asleep waiting for you to get food. I think I may be recharged enough for you to transform now though!" The small Kwami fluttered out of the bag, seeming to be full of energy again.

"That's good, because I'm going to need everything you've got. Tikki, spots on!"


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Marinette rejoins Chat to defeat the Gunman, but her plan to defeat him doesn't end up going as planned.

She could hear the sounds of gunshots as she got closer. She stopped at the edge of a high building, overlooking the chaos below. People were running, frantically avoiding stray bullets. Chat Noir was there too, attempting to hold off the Akuma on his own. 

The bullets stopped. Chat had gotten the Gunman's focus back on himself. Knowing this was her cue to enter the battle, Ladybug tried in vain to get her hands to stop shaking. She took a deep breath and let it out, she had to do this. She pushed all her fears away and threw herself into the fight. Using her yoyo, she swung down to Chat's side.

"Hey there, Kitty! Thanks for covering for me." She winked, putting on her best facade of confidence. 

The bullets started flying again before he could answer and they both sprang into action. They created glowing shields, Ladybug with her yoyo, and Chat with his staff. As scared as Marinette was, she couldn't let her fear penetrate her thoughts. She was completely focused on not getting hit, keeping track of bullets as well as her partner. In the corner of her eye she sees Chat dodge behind an overturned car and quickly follows, jumping and sliding to safety like a baseball player to home base.

"Glad to see you, Bugaboo." Chat flashed her a grin. She had taken such a long time to meet up with him that he had started to get really worried. Even while he was focused on Marinette, Ladybug had been in the back of his mind. He let out a small breath of relief, seeing no sign of any injuries besides a few small scratches that she had received from their previous fight. He couldn't help but notice that her eyes were red, as if she'd been crying and her lips were lightly bruised. The latter was odd considering the Gunman didn't use many physical attacks, but Chat shrugged it off. 

"Glad to see you too, Cat." Her smile didn't reflect in her eyes and he winced a little. It wasn't like she was put away by the sight of him, obviously, rather she was put away by the situation they were both stuck in. He didn't have time to give her much comfort beside a small reassuring smile. The car they had thrown themselves behind was being lifted away and then tossed to the side like it weighed nothing. 

Next thing Chat knew, he wasn't on the ground anymore. Ladybug had used her quick thinking to yoyo them away from the Gunman, narrowly avoiding a barrage of bullets. When they landed, they sprang back into action, coming together stronger than they had been before. Ladybug managed to land a couple of hits while the Gunman was focused on Chat, but it wasn't quite enough. 

"Chat!" They paused next to each other, weapons spinning to block any oncoming bullets. "You need to use Cataclysm on his gun or we'll never get any closer to finding where that Akuma is hiding." Chat nodded in response. She smiled, finally they were getting somewhere! All she had to do was distract the Gunman so that Chat could get close. 

They split up, Ladybug throwing her yoyo and swinging past the Gunman to grab his attention. He took the bait and was following Ladybug’s movements as she dodged back and forth behind cars and other debris. The Gunman let out an enraged cry as he continued to miss his target. Suddenly, he stopped aiming at Ladybug, and instead he was taking out all the streetlights around them. Ladybug paused, unable to see anything through the veil of darkness. It was a good thing Chat had night vision; however, she had to wait for her eyes to adjust. 

She could barely make out a dark figure running out from behind a car across from her. She saw him leap as the looming figure of the Gunman began to turn. 

‘BANG…’

A shot in the dark. She flinched hard, hands coming up to cover her ears. Her eyes grew wide and were already beginning to brim with tears. "No. Please be okay, please be okay..." The next sound was the another angered cry from the Gunman. She could now make out the shapes in front of her with more detail, thankful for the single streetlamp flickering behind the Gunman. What she saw was that big, intimidating gun crumbling away to nothing. 

Before the smile could grow on her face she noticed Chat on the ground motionless, and her entire world crumbled. She felt her heart stop and restart, felt her breathing hitch… as the tears finally fell. She stood and ran past the Gunman, not seeing anything but Chat. 

She collapsed to her knees upon reaching him and gently pulled his head onto her lap. His eyelids fluttered open, and two beautiful green orbs looked up at her. They were shrouded in pain, contradictory to the smile on Chat's face. 

"You... Don't worry about me. The Akuma is..." Chat started coughing and blood trickled from the corner of his mouth. Through her tears she saw rubble nearby just big enough to shield them from Gunman’s sight ,and gently pulled Chat with her behind it. 

Once they were out of his view, she looked down to where his hand was pressed to his side. That shot had definitely hit him, she'd completely failed. She cupped his cheek and let out a choked sob. 

"My fault. It's my fault..." She bit her lip harshly, trying to stop the sobs that wracked her body. Her hands trembled as she gently brushed his hair out of his face. Marinette shut her eyes tightly, knowing every single death and injury was her fault. A gloved hand brushed against her cheek. 

"It's not… This isn’t-" Chat coughed again. "It isn't your fault. You're the only one... Who can save us, Bugaboo." He brushed away the tears on her face and gave her a pained smile. Chat's ring beeped, and the superhero found he couldn't hold his transformation any longer. A soft glow washed over Chat’s form from his feet up, and it revealed Adrien Agreste lying helplessly in his Lady’s arms. 

He let out short laugh, coming out more like a huff. "Looks like the cats out of the bag, huh?" Marinette just stared back in shock and mild confusion. “Chat's got your tongue?" Adrien chuckled, but was stopped by a wince. Plagg managed to float up near Adrien's face to nudge him, looking lost. 

"Adrien...?" So he hadn't been killed like the others. He had been Chat this whole time. Chat, who she had finally fallen for after seeing the softer side of him. Her crush had been her best friend all this time, and she was never able to see it. To top it all off Adrien liked her back. Not just Ladybug, but Marinette as well. Her arms tightened around him and she leaned her forehead down to rest against his, keeping her eyes closed. "I'm going to save you... I'm going to save everyone, I promise." 

"I know you will." She felt his hand brush her tear stained cheek and she opened her eyes. Beautiful green eyes looked back at her, how had she never noticed they were the same?

"I don't want to just leave you here... Is your Kwami okay?" She bit her lip and moved back to see his expression. His breathing was shallow, but he still managed to answer her well enough. 

"Plagg is fine, just tired. You should go ahead. I saw Gunman touch his necklace... That must be where the Akuma’s hiding." Adrien's hand moved from her cheek to gently squeeze her hand. She nodded and closed her eyes tightly, sucking in a deep breath. She could do this, she had to do this. 

She felt warmth spread through her as Adrien pulled her closer and his lips suddenly touched her forehead. Just like before she felt the shaking in her hands settle a bit. 

"For luck." He let go of her hand and shifted off her lap with a grimace. “Though, I suppose you don't need it." He said weakly. She could see the Gunman ahead of them as she got to her feet. 

"I'll be back before you know it." He nodded as she reassured him with a small smile before turning back towards the Gunman and leaping over the car towards him. 

She tried to sneak up on the hulking figure to snatch the necklace, but his hearing was better than she anticipated. He swung at her, but barely grazed her shoulder. Jumping back, she assessed her surroundings. There wasn't much around to help, not while she was alone at least. 

"Lucky Charm!" It was her last option, she had to get it right this time. "Okay, think Marinette... A hose?" Water from the hydrant and the telephone wires in the street between her and the Akumatized man… One step and that power armor would be fried.  
She attached the hose to the hydrant and let the water flow into the street, the Gunman still advancing slowly towards her. 

The armored boot made contact with the water, and he let out a surprised cry as the electricity fried his armor. He stumbled back to avoid more of the water, which cued Ladybug’s chance. She quickly leapt over him, pulling the necklace free from his neck and throwing it to the ground. The Akuma fluttered out gracefully, and she quickly caught it in her yoyo. 

"Bye bye, little butterfly." The pure white insect flew off and she wasted no time running back to Adrien. "Adrien, I did it! Everything’s going to be fine!" She slid to the ground next to him and watched him open his eyes, noticeably weaker than before. 

"Knew you could, my Lady." She took his hand in hers and smiled as she felt him gently squeeze back.  

"Please don't forget like everyone else..." She murmured with tears in her eyes. She leaned down to gently kiss his forehead and his brows scrunched together. 

"Prin-?" He didn't finish his word before Marinette threw her yoyo up and called out with the last of her power.

"Miraculous Ladybug!" 

Light washed over everything as the little ladybugs went to work. Cars were being flipped back over and the streets of Paris were alight and beautiful again. More importantly, people were reappearing right where they were before the attack, and no one was dead or injured. Marinette laughed in surprise, finally able to let herself relax as she looked down to see Adrien sitting up fully. He was still beautiful, totally unharmed and... Confused? 

He turned to look at her and jolted back a bit, like he was seeing her for the first time. "L-Ladybug!" Her heart felt like it was about to shatter into a million pieces. She watched him closely as he glanced down at his ring, most likely confused about why he was Adrien and not Chat. 

"Adrien, are you okay? What do you remember?" She had to play it safe. Maybe he did remember something... Anything. 

"Uh... Haha, not much actually! It's funny, I must have gotten knocked out when I was running away?" He seemed nervous and Marinette just couldn't figure out why. 

"You don't remember... Seeing anyone before that?" She should just drop it, he clearly didn't remember anything. She felt sick, unable to pry her eyes from the ground. 

His cheeks flushed and he avoided looking at her. "Only one person after I started running... Marinette Dupain-Cheng? She's a girl at my school. She was scared so I stopped to help her. Why? Looking for someone?" Her head snapped up, a blush on her own cheeks. Adrien didn't remember the fight, but he remembered her. He remembered Marinette. 

Her Miraculous beeped and they both jerked back. "You should... Probably get going, huh?" He wouldn't meet her eyes. Ladybug bit her lip and looked around nervously. There was an alley just a couple buildings down and she'd already made up her mind about what she wanted. 

“Adrien," she began. He finally looked up at her. "I need to show you something. If that's alright?" She held out her hand and a small, shy smile crept onto her face as she watched him fumble. 

“O-of course." He took her hand in his, and she could tell he was both nervous, and excited. The super-heroine tightened her grip on his hand and pulled him, close against her, letting go of his hand to wrap an arm around his torso. He let out a shy squeak as she used her yoyo to swing them over to the alley. Once they had safely landed she let him go and took a step back. 

"That was a pretty cute noise, handsome boy." She giggled, trying to lighten the tense mood that was settling between them. 

He huffed, trying to hide his blush from Ladybug’s remark. "You just surprised me!" His response just made her laugh more. He pouted and she wiped a tear from her eye. 

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry." she said, stifling a laugh. She clamped her hand over her mouth to stop herself from losing it, and Adrien shot her an amused smile.

"It's fine. So... Why are we here? Are you okay?" Marinette sobered up quickly, letting her hand drop.

"I'm fine... Besides being pretty terrified right now…” She let out a quiet, pitiful laugh. Her Miraculous beeped in a final warning. Marinette noticed that Adrien was about to mention that she should go, or ask if she wanted him to close his eyes. Marinette had already made up her mind, she closed her eyes, releasing her transformation. 

"Spots Off." There was a flash of light, and then she was herself again, catching an exhausted Tikki and gently setting the Kwami back inside her purse to rest. When she looked back up, she saw a completely shocked Adrien. His eyes were glued to her, studying every feature of her face in disbelief. He finally stopped and intensely stared at her eyes, and she immediately looked elsewhere. 

"Your eyes." Was all he said at first. She grew more and more nervous the longer he didn't speak. 

"W-what about them?" She squeaked, staring down at her shoes. She stiffened a little when orange sneakers appeared in her line of sight. With a hand on either side of her face, he gently prompted her to look back up. 

"They don't change. They're the same blue. I can't believe I never noticed..." He brought her face closer and touched his forehead to hers, a big smile on his face. "So you knew I was lying when I said I saw you?" She pulled back and nodded, she was holding back tears and shifted her eyes down to avoid his gaze. 

"Well, you didn't lie exactly... " She sniffed and clutched his upper arm. "I'm so sorry, Adrien. It was my fault you got hurt and that's why you don't remember anything. I thought it would be different, but my power hasn’t ever affected you before, so I had no idea-" 

"Marinette! Slow down. What are you talking about? Your power hasn’t ever affected me?" He was the one avoiding her eyes now. 

"Of course not, Kitty..." He snapped his eyes back towards her. ”You've never gotten hurt before."

He looked down at his ring and frowned. "You know I'm Chat because I got hurt and Plagg ended the transformation..." He said in understanding. "If I got hurt that was my fault, not yours Marinette." 

"No, I made a plan and it failed. I put you in danger." He grasped her hands and their eyes met. 

"You made a plan and now all of Paris is safe. Im safe. I wouldn't count that as a failure."

"You should never have gotten hurt, though… I'm so sorry…” A tear slowly slipped down her cheek. 

"You don't have to be, Princess." He smiled and brushed the tear away. That nickname again, Marinette was instantly warm inside. This was Chat Noir, and Adrien. The two people she was so torn about loving, and they were actually the same person all this time. 

"I'm just so glad you're okay, Kitty… I don't know what I would do without you." She smiled and her eyes flickered briefly down to his lips. A blush flared up on her cheeks and she quickly looked back to his eyes. 

Adrien hadn't missed it though. "I just can't believe it's you. Ladybug… Marinette... Can I kiss you?" 

"You already did." She smiled teasingly, thinking back to their conversation when he'd kissed her before.

He returned a smile that shone brighter than the sun, and he leaned down towards her as she stretched up on her toes to meet him. His lips captured hers and she sighed into the kiss. Being there with him had felt like something so familiar…

It felt like home.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So I gave it a fluffy ending. I just couldn't hurt my children!  
> I hope everyone enjoyed this and I'm so sorry it took so long to get this chapter out. Thank you so much to @kisekimegami (on tumblr) for editing this mess for me, you're the best! My other editor had the file for a week and I had no idea they weren't editing it, so that's my mistake. 
> 
> Thank you everyone for reading!


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